606 Results for “community” in Blog

Blog | From NCFP

Rowing the Philanthropic Boat Together: Reflections on Consensus and Civility
August 15, 2011 | Virginia M. Esposito
A foundation needs trustees who can work together productively, but it does not require that they be unanimous in their opinions or uniform in their outlook. …A foundation’s extraordinary potential for good springs from its board’s ability to act as a collective, to be cohesive in fulfilling its public trust. As Alfred North Whitehead remarked, “No member of a crew Read More
Blog | Featured Article

Milestone Celebrations in Family Philanthropy
July 15, 2011 | National Center for Family Philanthropy
Milestone birthday celebrations are momentous events in all families. For many, this tradition carries over directly to the philanthropic institutions they create. A growing number of families celebrating their 40th, 50th or 60th anniversaries have found ways to honor the giving legacy of the donor and subsequent generations, while also celebrating the importance and potential of their nonprofit partners. In Read More
Blog | Ask NCFP

Attracting the Right Grantseekers… and Keeping Them from Drowning in Paperwork
June 15, 2011 | National Center for Family Philanthropy
How do we put together guidelines that attract the right grantseekers… and that are respectful of their time and resources? Many family foundations have written the National Center over the past 15 years asking for guidance on how to create grantmaking guidelines that attract the right grantseekers and that do not place undue burden on the applicants (or the foundation Read More
Blog | Ask NCFP

Keeping “Control”
May 15, 2011 | National Center for Family Philanthropy
Our foundation has begun discussions to add nonfamily trustees to enhance and complement the skills and perspectives currently on our all-family board. How do we ensure that the family will not lose “control” of the foundation over time? There are a variety of strategies that family foundations around the country have used to retain control while engaging non-family board members Read More
Blog | From NCFP

Renewing Your Commitment
May 15, 2011 | Virginia M. Esposito
The process of emerging from a long, gray winter is a cause for celebration. Extra sunlight and the reintroduction of the stunning colors of nature are also extraordinarily energizing. I suppose that is why some take to spring cleaning. Since I am rarely inspired to clean, I personally prefer to take the energy and the inspiration to renew the vibrancy Read More
Blog | Ask NCFP

Donor Legacy Statements, Values Statements, and Ethical Wills
March 15, 2011 | National Center for Family Philanthropy
I work for a small family foundation as their non-family executive director. The foundation has been in existence for 25 years. In the near term, I will be sitting down with the founder, who is preparing to write his legacy. I am wondering if you’re familiar with other founders who have shared excerpts concerning their vision for philanthropy that you thought to be Read More
Blog | Featured Article

The Value of Family Philanthropy in a Democracy
September 15, 2010 | National Center for Family Philanthropy
The passionate generosity of countless American families has inspired – and continues to inspire – extraordinary gifts. Indeed, we may know many of these families more by their philanthropy than by the business successes that made their largesse possible. What is most remarkable is the very phenomenon of American family philanthropy itself. An astonishing number of families make record-setting, private contributions Read More
Blog | Featured Article

Conflicts of Interest: Steering Clear of Potholes and Other Bumps in the Road
June 15, 2010 | Anne Etheridge
Most family foundations prefer to focus on the business of giving, without having to worry about tripping over the sometimes obscure rules and regulations that govern this work. But the fact is that family foundation boards need to be aware of potential potholes on the road named philanthropy. Driving blind down this road can get you into trouble. One potential Read More
Blog | Uncategorized, Case Studies

The Ansara Family Fund: Partnering Beyond Borders for Long-term Impact
April 15, 2010 | Jason Born
When Karen and Jim Ansara contacted the Boston Foundation on January 14, 2010 to talk about how their family’s donor advised fund could best respond to the earthquakes in Haiti – which had happened less than 48 hours before – they were continuing both a longstanding commitment to international philanthropy, as well as a more recent commitment to Haiti in Read More
Blog | Featured Article

Are you prepared to operate your family’s philanthropy in a disaster?
November 15, 2009 | Susan Crites Price
Like a lot of smaller funders, the 20-year-old McCarthy Family Foundation operated out of Treasurer Tim McCarthy’s home office. He learned a lot of important lessons about disasters the hard way after his home was among the hundreds of properties destroyed in the October 2007 San Diego wildfires. The foundation had no disaster evacuation or recovery plan. And it is Read More

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